The Eastbourne manslaughter (R v Hopley) was an 1860 legal case in
Eastbourne, England, about the death of a teenage pupil at the hands of
his teacher, Thomas Hopley. Reginald Cancellor's parents gave Hopley
permission to use corporal punishment to overcome what he perceived as
the boy's stubbornness. After the boy died, the teacher insisted that
the beating was justifiable and that he was not guilty of any crime. An
inquest into Cancellor's death began when his brother requested an
autopsy. As a result of the inquest Hopley was arrested and charged with
manslaughter. He was found guilty at trial and sentenced to four years
in prison. Hopley's conviction was upheld by the Court of King's Bench
(Chief Justice Alexander Cockburn pictured), which said that a
schoolmaster "may for the purpose of correcting what is evil in the
child, inflict moderate and reasonable corporal punishment." The trial
was sensationalised by the Victorian press and incited debate over the
use of corporal punishment in schools. Physical discipline was
officially banned in British schools more than a century later.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastbourne_manslaughter>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1773:
On James Cook's second voyage, his ship HMS Resolution became
the first to cross the Antarctic Circle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_voyage_of_James_Cook>
1893:
Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of
Public Safety led the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the
government of Queen Liliʻuokalani (pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii>
1912:
Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached
the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them
by 33 days.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Nova_Expedition>
1948:
Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between
the Netherlands and Indonesian Republicans was ratified, recognising a
cease-fire along the "Van Mook Line".
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renville_Agreement>
1998:
The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the
Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky scandal to the public
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drudge_Report>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
emasculate:
1. (transitive) To deprive of virile or procreative power; to castrate, to
geld.
2. (transitive) To deprive of masculine vigor or spirit; to weaken; to
render effeminate; to vitiate by unmanly softness.
3. (transitive, botany) Of a flower: to deprive of the anthers.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emasculate>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I want our young people to know that they matter, that they
belong. So don't be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don't be
afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower
yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that
education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by
example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting
for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.
--Michelle Obama
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama>